US national debt: Is $32 trillion a big number?
How concerned should we be about how much the US government borrows?
The level of US government debt has just surpassed 32 trillion dollars. Negotiations over raising the borrowing limit once again went down to the wire a few weeks ago. But how concerned should we all be about how much the US government borrows? We investigate with the help of Kent Smetters, professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and Betsey Stevenson, Professor of Economics and Public Policy at the University of Michigan.
Presenter: Charlotte McDonald
Producer: Jon Bithrey
Editor: Richard Vadon
Production Co-ordinator: Brenda Brown
Sound engineer: Graham Puddifoot
(Photo: View of the US National Debt Clock in midtown Manhattan, New York City. Credit: Eduardo Munoz Alvarez /Getty Images)
Last on
Broadcasts
- Sat 24 Jun 2023 04:50GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service except East and Southern Africa, Europe and the Middle East & West and Central Africa
- Sat 24 Jun 2023 10:50GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service East and Southern Africa & Europe and the Middle East only
- Sun 25 Jun 2023 08:50GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service West and Central Africa
- Sun 25 Jun 2023 10:50GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service except East and Southern Africa, Europe and the Middle East & West and Central Africa
- Sun 25 Jun 2023 22:50GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
- Sun 25 Jun 2023 23:50GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa & Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Afghan Radio
Download this programme
Subscribe to this programme or download individual episodes.